Superior Bobcats nearly claim victory

The Superior Lady Bobcats were just a few seconds away from stopping their losing skid and getting their first win of the season.

In a seesaw battle against Two Eagle River in Superior Friday, the Bobcats took a 53-52 lead, when Shanna Stephens hit one of two free throws with about 40 seconds left to play in the game. Superior held firmly onto the lead until they fouled Charla Brown with seven ticks on the clock.

Brown calmly hit both free throws to give Two Eagle a one-point lead. Superior advanced the ball to about their foul line, but when Tamara Rennick's highly-contested shot missed the mark Superior dropped their 13th straight.

"It was a barn burner. It kept going back and forth," Bobcat coach Jeff Schultz said.

"We really wanted that win," he added.

Schultz said the team was disappointed with the loss, but at the same time motivated about how well they played. Schultz said the Bobcats were doing things that they hadn't been doing earlier in the season. "We shot the ball really well and we boarded really well. The girls played a good game," he said.

Superior had 58 rebounds in the game, a season high. Their previous season high was 44. The 53 points were also a season high, shattering the mark of 36 points they scored in a game against Troy on Jan. 19.

Superior had 37 points by the end of the third quarter against Two Eagle. Schultz said they shot the ball 81 times against Two Eagle, which was also a season high by about 30 shots.

Nicole Lucier led the offensive onslaught, scoring 18 points. Stephens followed with nine. Koltan Plouffe scored eight points, Shannon Frederick had six and Rennick finished with five.

Schultz said he was encouraged with what he saw in his team against Two Eagle and with districts just weeks away he thinks the Bobcats will be ready. "We're improving every game. We're peaking at the right time," Schultz said.

The improved game of Superior was nowhere to be found in a 76-25 loss to the Trotters in Plains Saturday. In the loss, the Bobcats offense that was so potent against Two Eagle, could only manage 13 points in the first half and went into halftime trailing 41-13.

"It wasn't a step forward, but it wasn't a step back. We just didn't do a few things right," Schultz said. He said the Bobcats turned the ball over too many times and weren't blocking out.

The Bobcats turnover woes led to easy baskets for the Trotters and was one of the main reason they ran away with the win. Plains had over 60 steals or deflections in the game. "We need to hold on to the ball," Schultz said.

Despite the lopsided loss, Schultz said he was proud of his team's effort. "Under the circumstances, I think they played well. They kept their heads up and I was very proud of them," he said. "Very classy," Schultz added.

Once again, Lucier led the Bobcats in scoring with 10 points. Plouffe added six and Tamara Rennick put in four.

It doesn't get any easy for the Bobcats (0-14). Next week they have two road games against two powerhouses. Superior travels to Charlo Thursday and Hot Springs Friday.